Ghana is a Fabricoholic's Dream

What happens when 60 missionaries leave the MTC and 70 new missionaries arrive at the MTC?

Two excited Sister Missionaries set to fly to their Missions

60 missionaries and luggage takes a lot of vans and great organization by our terrific Staff

Before the next group arrives the teacher attend training classes

A few hours later the next wave comes in from Nigeria

Then the Congolese and Burundians

Last but not least the North Americans arrive

The Ammaron District is staying another 3 weeks so they get in a trip to the temple during this busy time
Then we start the check in process (but that is another post)

Families Can Be Together Forever

The Ammarron District has been at the Ghana MTC about as long as we have!  They are all learning French, and we have experienced many things together.  Today we were all in the temple together for a very special experience.

Both of Sister Pekoe's parents have passed away.  Sister Zekou was able to do the work for her mother, and Sister Anifa was able to do the work for her Grandmother.  President Brubaker and I were honored when Sister Zekou asked if we would be able to do the sealing of her parents.  The precious experience we had in the temple today will be one of the treasured days that we will never forget.

We are blessed to have this beautiful temple in Accra.  

Dr. Emmanuel Kissi - An African Pioneer

Brother Emmanuel Kissi comes every month to the MTC to give all missionaries going to Ghana on their missions a physical, so they can stay in the country.  We met with Brother Kissi too!  We are very grateful for the service he gives to the missionaries!

Brother Kissi was born in Abomosu, Ghana. He studied medicine in England. In 1979, while completing training in surgery in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, he joined the LDS Church.

After his return to Ghana, Brother Kissi and his wife Elizabeth, who is a nurse, established a medical clinic in Accra which they named Deseret Hospital. The hospital at times has been aided by groups of LDS Church members from the United States.  He has also been involved with trying to coordinate humanitarian medical care by other doctors in Ghana.  Brother Kissi was among those featured in the film Lives of Service about Latter-day Saints of African descent.

Initially after his return to Ghana, Brother Kissi was a professor at Legon University medical school and was working as a general surgeon at Korle Bu Hospital.

The first Latter-day Saint he met in Ghana was Priscilla Sampson-Davis who was reading the Doctrine and Covenants while waiting for treatment at the hospital.

Church leadership

By 1982, Brother Kissi was serving the LDS Church as a district president in Ghana. He had also been a branch president, and in the late 1980s he was a counselor in the presidency of the Ghana Accra Mission. Then in June 1989, the government of Ghana suspended all meetings of the LDS Church and expelled all foreign church representatives. Brother Kissi was designated as the official head of the church in Ghana, a position he held until "The Freeze" was over in November 1990. At the same time, from 1989 to 1991, he was president of the Ghana Accra Mission.

After this Kissi served the church as a Regional Representative of the Twelve, then as a counselor in the mission presidency.   Brother Kissi was serving as patriarch of the Accra Ghana Lartebiokorshie Stake  before being called as an area seventy from 2002 to 2007.   In 2004, he spoke at Brigham Young University on the growth of the LDS Church in West Africa.

Kissi was present at the dedication of the Accra Ghana Temple in 2001.

"Service is Happiness"

Our container finally arrived from America!  We brought supplies for Bernece Ankrah, who is a member of the church and lives in Accra.  She is doing a great work here in Africa.  She is involved in the humanitarian project, Days For Girls.  You can learn more about the good she is doing on Daysforgirls.com

We can always find strong young missionaries to help us!

Many hours were spent by volunteers in Midway, Utah to make bags for the Days for Girls kits!  It was a joy to give the supplies and bags to Bernece!  

Many girls throughout Africa are seeing their lives changed because of these simple kits.  

Ready for the Gospel

Elder Jeffrey Holland after visiting Africa not long ago made the following statement..."If you were to walk out onto a street corner and say 'I want to talk to you about the Gospel of Jesus Christ', you would have 400 people gathered before you could finish the sentence. There is a faith and a purity about these people that leaves me awestruck".

Faith and purity

President Curtis and Family Come to Speak to The Missionaries

The missionaries were pleased to have President and Sister Curtis come speak to them today.  We were doubly blessed to have his oldest son Matt and his wife, Barbie, with their five children join us!  

Sister Doe was happy to shake hands with both of them.  She comes from Liberia, and will be serving in the Ghana-Accra Mission.

Sister Zekou, comes to us from Cote d'Ivoire.  She will serve her mission in the DR Congo Kinshasha. Mission.

Sister Fensombo comes to us from Sierra Leone, and will be serving in the Nigeria-Calabar Mission.  

The names of our missionaries can be difficult to pronounce!

Missionaries line up to shake hands with President and Sister Curtis.  

Even though they come from 13 different countries from allover the world, they accept each other's differences, and enjoy the diversity!

Elder Apelu is from New Zealand, and gave up a Rugby Scholarship to come on a mission!

Elder Onuka has a wonderful enthusiasm for Missionary Work!

Elder Anyiwo comes from Nigeria, and will serve inn his home country in the Nigeria Benin City Mission.